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 Friday
Two Mountains (Zillah)
Talked to Matt, friend of Andy. Tasted NV Red, Merlot, Cab &
Syrah. Liked the Merlot and Cab. A couple old dogs run the
joint.
Sheridan Winery (Zillah)
Scott & Karen. Tasted Kamiakin Red, Merlot ’06, Syrah ’05 and
Sheridan Cab Franc ’05, Lorage ’05, Syrah ’05. Very unique
syrah, almost a port-like nose. Excellent stuff.
Olsen Estates (Prosser)
Tasty Riesling. Décor very classy with outdoor patio and water
feature. Retail goods and piano onsite. Also tasted chardonnay,
merlot and syrah.
Airfield Estates (Prosser)
Great old-time aviation theme throughout the winery. Retail
offerings are worth stopping for, including cheeses, pickles,
olives, wine accessories, other gourmet items and art. Big
hangar doors set the mood of the place. Another outdoor patio
and water feature, which seem to be a theme in Prosser.
Nice folks here running the tasting room. The land was once an
air force training field in the 30s and 40s, owned by the Miller
family. The family still farms out of two of the original
airplane hangars.
Tasted Unoaked Chard ’07, Chard ’06, Pinot Gris ’07, Footstomped
Rose ’07, Syrah ’06, Merlot ’06, NV Cab, Reserve Syrah ’06,
Thunderbolt White ’07, Riesling ’07. Bought Rose, Chard, pickled
asparagus, coaster, stem markers.
Tagaris (Richland)
Stopped in for dinner. Busy place with good food & service. Had
the 2006 Dry Riesling and 2005 Petit Verdot with dinner.
Bookwalter (Richland)
Right next door to Tagaris. Great music, gargantuan glassware.
Andy got his head stuck in the glass trying to get that last
drop. Had Cab ’05 (which was great), Cab ’04 (not so great), NV
Red (VG), and the Merlot ’05 which tasted off. Mr. Bookwalter
was hanging out on the couch.
Saturday (Walla Walla)
1st Driver: Becky 
10:15 AM Long Shadows
Best Chihuly glass display in Walla Walla. Tough to make this
the first stop because you don’t want to spit out the wine.
Quote from Andy at 10:25 AM: “Wow, this is our 1st stop. If
they’re all like this our teeth are going to be black and we are
going to be wasted!” Tasted Riesling with Judah, Chester Kidder, Sassi (super Tuscan) ’05, Piruoette blend ’05, Pedestal Merlot
’05, Feather Cab ’05, Sequel Syrah ’05. Absolutely criminal to
spit Pirouette and Feather. Maybe this should be the last stop…
Figure 5 The Long
Shadows property is very new.
11:00 Cougar Crest
New tasting room was only 3 weeks old. Debbie has plans for
Bocce lawn and horseshoe pit. Open & airy feeling in the tasting
room, with a big patio at the entrance. Tasted Chard ’06, Vivace
’05, Viognier ’06, Dedication NV Red, Estate Merlot ’05.
11:30 Canoe Ridge
Great snacks spread out on barrel tops. Stacks of new American
oak decorated the tasting room. Artwork on display for sale.
Tasted delicious Riesling, Gewurtz, Chard, Cab/Merlot, Syrah
’05, Syrah ’04. Bought a few bottles of ’04 Syrah.
12:00 Amavi
Great winery dog in here (Haggrid). Cool vintage red chevy truck
in front. Tasted some good wines including the Semillon’07 and
Cabernet (good value at $25).
12:30 Switched drivers. Tilly now behind the wheel.
12:40 Dusted Valley
Lots of personality and the only tasting held in a suburban
driveway. Outdoor tent with $5 tasting fee refundable with any
purchase. Pushing memberships to the Stained Tooth Society. 4
Syrahs to taste, several with mourvedre and viognier blended in.
Very unique Super Tuscan. Bought some wine. Don’t remember what.
1:00 Isenhower
Good wines, packed house. Bought some NV red.
1:25 Rulo
The crazy hair winery (wigs were rampant). Known for Viognier,
which was excellent. “Syrca” Syrah/Cab blend was also good. Also
tasted Combine (SB/Viognier blend), Rose ’07, Sundance chard ’06
(unoaked), an oaked chard, Syrah ’05. The bagpiper (Bill
Dickson) summoned us over from Isenhower. Big spread of cheeses
in the tasting room.
2:15 Northstar
$8 included nice logo glass stem. Did we get these or did we not
pay..don’t recall? Started with Stella Blanco Semillon. Nice
retail goods (leather, apparel, accessories). Live music on the
outdoor patio. Merlot was great, of course.
Drivers excused in Walla Walla at 3:00.
3:10 Spring Valley
Tasted through the entire line. Fantastic pairing of 61%
chocolate and the Syrah. Nice pictorial history covers the walls
of the (small) tasting room. 3 generations of Derby’s on the
Derby Cabernet label.
3:35 Ash Hollow
Started with 2007 Sauv Blanc. They use the same vineyards as
Airfield Estates for this. Picked early, no malolactic, all
stainless. Justin spent lots of time with us. All reds estate
grown, 11 acres across from Leonetti. “workhorse” wine is 9 Mile
Red, which is 68% cab, 32% merlot. 100% Walla Walla.
3:55 Waterbrook
Crowded, but nice outdoor patio in the center of Walla Walla.
They are open late. Lots of snacks scattered in the tasting
room. Good selection of infused grapeseed oils.
4:15 Flying Trout
Very low production levels. 100 cases of Red and 50 cases of Cab
Franc. Red is a good value at $25. Called Flying Trout because
owner swaps time between Argentina and Walla Walla and her name
is Trout. Bought a coffee cup and some red.
4:50 Cole Cellars
Cost was $8 and only had three wines to taste. New room just
opened today, and overwhelmingly smelled of fresh latex paint.
Maybe I’m just getting grumpy.
5:15 Da Ma Wines
Part owner is widow of Devin Derby (of Spring Valley fame).
Wines were quite good with some real values. Cowgirl Cab a great
deal for $21. Pretty much everybody is in the bag at this point
including the owners and servers.
5:45 Back at Waterbrook
Live music on the sidewalk. Tasted Rose for the first time.
Melange was good as usual. Bought some garlic grapeseed oil and
basil oil. Reserves were all gone.
6:30 26 Brix
This is a bar not a winery. Nice original cocktails. Ordered
Kumquat martinis and Cucumber cocktail.
8:00 Dinner at Luscious with Waterbrook winemaker John
Freeman and friends (Thanks for the great dinner John). Things
start to dim…..
Sometime later than 8:00, Green Lantern Tavern. Drinks in
the back yard….literally. Most of my Martini ends up in the
grass, by way of my shirt and right pant leg. Probably for the
best…
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